Zoosphaerium alluaudi: Red List Assessment

Alluauds' Giant Pill-Millipede (Zoosphaerium alluaudi) is endemic to the transitional forests in southeast Madagascar and now confined to the littoral forest of Petriky and the rainforest remnants of the Lavasoa (also called Ambatotsirongorongo) Mountain. The remaining rainforest on Lavasoa covers less than 100 ha., while the forest of Petriky consists of 700-800 ha. of littoral forest. Both forests are continuously declining due to wood removal and slash/burn agriculture by the expanding local population. The forest of Petriky will additionally be the locality of a strip mine project which will remove most of the remaining forest cover in the near future. The species is listed as Critically Endangered under criteria A2 and A3, as well as B1 and B2 and because the species has a small area of distribution, is known only from a single location whose forest cover was significantly reduced in the last 21 years (3 generations) and covers now less than 10 km². The threat is ongoing, will be accelerated by the strip mining project, leading to a rapid decline of the species in the future.